Vulpes Medico: Ursus Arctos
by FemaleChauvinist
Summary: The cub Kolbi has never been strong, and Mrs Bear knows he can't survive another winter. But what will happen to him when a wild bear drives them from their den?
1. Hibernation

**Disclaimer:** While the attempt has been made to be medically accurate as far as is consistent with the fantasy world of Narnia, some artistic license has been taken, and statements made by Rawlstow are not to be regarded as authoritative.  
Narnia and recognizable characters thereof are the property of the estate of C. S. Lewis; all original characters and story © 2018 FemaleChauvinist.

 _Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety._

 **A/N: This story's main character is introduced in my stories "Vulpes Medico: Winter's End" and "Vulpes Medico: Clever Fox," so you might wonder about some things if you haven't read those first. Barbie**

 **Chapter One: Hibernation**

"Come play, Kolbi!" Tondu cried, standing on his hind paws to bat playfully at the falling autumn leaves.

Kolbi sniffed half-heartedly at one of the leaves that already lay on the ground, then wandered back to his mother's side and lay down, resting his nose on his paws.

Mrs Bear whuffed softly, nosing him with concern.

The two cubs were twins, born during the final storms of the previous winter. But Kolbi had been smaller than Tondu even then, and it had been a struggle to get him to suckle his mother's rich milk. Now, eight months later, he was noticeably smaller and lacked his brother's energy. While Tondu had begun eating voraciously as his body prepared itself for the winter's sleep ahead, Kolbi still only picked at his food, failing to put on the heavy layer of fat his body needed.

Running her nose again along his ribs that she could still feel far too easily, Mrs Bear wondered anxiously if her tiny cub could survive the winter at all.

 **oOo**

Mrs Bear woke to a soft whimpering and nosing at her long-dry teats. "Kolbi?" she whispered, squinting in the dim cave.

"I'm hungry, Mama!" Kolbi complained, not as careful as she to keep his voice down. Mr Bear snorted and rolled over in his sleep, and Mrs Bear eyed him warily.

"Shh!" she warned. Her husband was normally very even-tempered, but even the best of bears could be unpredictable when woken from hibernation. With a weary huff, she pushed herself to her feet. "Stay quiet so you don't wake your father or brother, and I'll go get you something to eat."

She shifted the little cub closer to Tondu to keep warm, then stepped out into the blowing snow.

Hunting was harder in this unfamiliar whirling whiteness, and she felt a moment's gratitude that the Winter of her cubhood was over and bears could once more sleep through the coldest months as they were meant to do.

 **oOo**

Kolbi hungrily attacked the meat his mother brought him, but after only a few bites his enthusiasm waned and he turned aside. Though Mrs Bear urged him, he would eat no more.

Sighing, she pulled the remains of the carcass near the entrance to the cave, where the cooler air would keep it fresh. Then she curled herself around her cubs and drifted back to sleep.

 **oOo**

Several more times Kolbi woke Mrs Bear looking for food; she would bite off chunks of the meat and hold them in her mouth to warm them. After the second time, she began eating some herself, though it necessitated going back out to hunt sooner. Her own stores of body fat, while sufficient for hibernation, were inadequate for bringing her metabolism to its waking level; even less so for the activity of hunting. By the time spring came, Mrs Bear was nearly as thin as Kolbi had been the previous fall.

But while she quickly regained her weight now that she was eating a steady diet, Kolbi seemed unable to recover from the winter. He no longer had the energy even to attempt to play with Tondu, but Mrs Bear brought him outside as often as she could, thinking the sun might somehow do him good.

"He won't last through another winter," she rumbled heartbrokenly to her husband when the cubs lay curled up sleeping together one night. "He's not recovering — and he started the winter in better condition than he's in now."

"I know," Mr Bear agreed soberly. "He needs a healer."

"Where could we find one this far north?" Mrs Bear asked despairingly.

"I'll have to go south to find one. You can tend the cubs on your own?"

"Of course. But would a centaur healer come to treat Kolbi, do you think?"

"If not, we can bring him south, once we know where to take him."

"Yes." Mrs Bear was silent for a moment. "You know…I heard that one of the queens has a magic healing cordial…"

"It's not for such as us to ask favours of the queen," Mr Bear said almost sternly. "I'll leave tomorrow to find a centaur healer."

"Yes," Mrs Bear murmured. "Yes, that would be best." But the idea of the cordial had been planted in her mind, and refused to be dislodged.

 _ **Next chapter coming next week!**_

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


	2. New Territory

**Chapter** **Two: New Territory**

Little changed with Mr Bear gone. It was always the mother who most often tended the cubs in any case; now she must hunt for them as well, but it was time Tondu learned something of hunting anyway. And as little as Kolbi ate, it was no great task finding enough for the three of them.

One evening as they returned to their den, Tondu running circles around Mrs Bear, Kolbi lagging behind, a warning growl came from behind the leaves.

Tondu stopped in his tracks, staring frozen toward the sound.

"Stay with your brother!" Mrs Bear ordered, sending him rolling backward with a quick cuff of her paw and charging in front of him.

In the short time they had been gone, a new bear had taken over their den. Standing on his hind legs in the entrance, he roared menacingly, and Mrs Bear instantly saw two things. First, he was a wild bear; second, he bore a long, bloody wound.

Bears were one of the animals that had grown slightly smaller when Aslan granted them Speech at the Dawn of Narnia, and the interloper was larger than she was. But as he came forward, intent on chasing them off, Mrs Bear galloped forward with a menacing growl of her own.

The bear checked at her fierce rush; recognizing the folly of fighting a mother intent on protecting her cubs, he dropped to all fours and lumbered off.

But as Mrs Bear called the cubs forward and settled them in the cave for the night, her mind was far from easy. She sensed the bear hadn't gone far, and got up often to pace in front of the den's entrance, sending warning growls into the forest.

 **oOo**

By morning, Mrs Bear had decided that they must move away from that place. Even a wild bear should have had sense enough not to risk crossing paths again with a mother with cubs, but this bear was fierce with pain and crazed with fever.

She had little doubt she could drive him off again if he chose to attack, but what if he caught one of the cubs alone? Kolbi had to be tucked in some sunny nook while she taught Tondu to hunt; Tondu was forever running ahead of her. Either of the cubs would make a tasty mouthful for a bear hungry from an inability to hunt with his injury.

Her heart heavy at the thought of wearing Kolbi down with travel, Mrs Bear nevertheless knew she had no choice. Standing on her hind legs, she paused to scratch her mark on a tree trunk with a rough arrow underneath for Mr Bear to follow. Then she dropped to all fours, calling the cubs to follow as she went the opposite way the bear had gone when she chased him off.

Though Kolbi's condition necessitated travelling more slowly than Mrs Bear might have liked, within two or three days' journey they were out of what the new bear could reasonably consider "his" territory. But she kept moving a little further each day, hoping to find a cave to use as a new den. It wasn't good for Kolbi to sleep out in the open, she felt sure, though she curled herself well around him for warmth.

Each day they would travel until Kolbi tired, and then Mrs Bear and Tondu would go hunting.

On this day, she had decided to begin teaching him the art of fishing. Kolbi had been left sunning himself as usual, but after some time came and stood plaintively on the edge of the bank. "Ma!" he whimpered.

Mrs Bear looked up anxiously. "What is it, Kolbi?"

"I'm _tired_!"

"Then lie down and rest."

Kolbi sat and began whining, wanting the thick warmth of his mother's fur.

"Don't be a baby, Kolbi!" Tondu exclaimed. Running over, he splashed a giant wave over his brother.

" _Tondu_!" Mrs Bear said ominously, giving the playful cub a swat that sent him head over heels, floating downstream a good ten feet before he could regain his footing.

Mrs Bear jumped ashore and shook herself, water spraying in all directions. Kolbi was crying in earnest now, and Mrs Bear began to lick him as thoroughly dry as she could.

It was a subdued cub who climbed out of the stream, a fish in his paws that he had surprised himself by catching in his wild tumble. "I was just playing, Mama," he said apologetically.

Mrs Bear's only answer was a distracted growl.

"Here's a fish for Kolbi," Tondu said, laying the offering at his brother's feet before running into the woods to feel sorry, until a short time later he forgot the incident and began romping and playing as normal.

 **oOo**

By the next morning, Kolbi was shivering and coughing, and Mrs Bear had little to say to Tondu. She urged Kolbi on, desperate now to find a warm den for him, but by midmorning it was apparent the sickly cub could go no further.

Mrs Bear crouched beside him. "Climb on my back; I'll carry you."

Kolbi attempted to pull himself up by her thick fur, but fell back coughing and whimpering.

"Tondu, help your brother," Mrs Bear ordered sharply.

With a boost from Tondu, Kolbi at last managed to scrabble and claw his way to Mrs Bear's back where he lay limply, exhausted. "Nestle down," Mrs Bear told him, standing slowly. "Hang onto my fur, and don't fall off."

 _ **Next chapter coming next week!**_

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


	3. Dwarves' Home

**Chapter** **Three: Dwarves' Home**

They made better time now, though Kolbi lay so still Mrs Bear felt a twinge of fear and wished she could check on him. She found herself grateful for the harsh coughs every so often that let her know he was still breathing.

"Mama!" Tondu cried, loping back from one of his forays. "Mama, there's a cave!"

Mrs Bear quickened her pace in the direction he indicated, but soon felt sharp disappointment. This was not an empty cave they could use as a den, but one occupied by dwarves. And hadn't some dwarves been on the side of the White Witch during the long Winter…?

She hesitated, unsure whether to bring her cubs forward into possible danger, but Tondu had no such reservations.

"Hello! Anybody home?" he called, bounding toward the cave.

" _Tondu_!" Mrs Bear rumbled, torn between protecting her headstrong cub from possible danger and keeping Kolbi well back from it.

"What have we here?" a dwarf asked, popping out of the cave's entrance. "A bearcub? Are you alone, little fella?"

"No — Mama an' Kolbi are back there," Tondu said, rising on his hind legs to gesture with a front paw and tumbling as the motion set him off balance.

The dwarf peered into the shadows of the trees, then stepped forward. "Mrs Bear? I'm Halkin. Won't you come in?"

"If…it's no inconvenience," Mrs Bear said slowly. She sensed nothing amiss in this dwarf's open friendliness, and surely any allies of the Witch had long fled Narnia for the Western Wastelands or the giantish lands to the north.

 **oOo**

Donkor peaked around the edge of the window to see their guest without being seen, then turned back to the others in the room. "It's a mother bear an' two cubs; Halkin's bringing them in," he reported; the others had been just as curious, though less direct than the younger dwarf in spying to find out.

Jorkin frowned in concern. "What do we have to offer bears…?" he worried.

"There's always Nikoden's honey," Donkor suggested with a mischievous grin.

Nikoden groaned, absently scratching the place where he fancied one of his stings still itched. "They c'n have it an' welcome." He had always had a fondness for honey, but had been stung so badly getting these honeycombs that he had declared he never wanted to see another honeycomb as long as he lived.

Jorkin chuckled and moved to set the pieces of honeycomb on a platter as Halkin opened the door and led the bears in, Mrs Bear's fur brushing back against the doorframe. "Mrs Bear, my fellow dwarves, Jorkin, Donkor, and Nikoden. Jorkin, Mrs Bear and her cubs Tondu and Kolbi," he said, introducing them as was proper to the oldest dwarf present.

Jorkin smiled. "Come have some honey," he invited. "Does the little one need help getting down?" He lifted his arms, letting Kolbi slide into them and placing him gently on the floor.

Donkor took two dripping pieces of honeycomb, offering them to the two cubs. Tondu gulped his quickly and then began romping with the two young dwarves as they teased him playfully, but Kolbi merely licked his half-heartedly and turned his head away.

Mrs Bear licked his nose in concern, finding it hot and dry.

"Is he all right?" Halkin questioned.

"No," Mrs Bear admitted.

"Nikoden!" Halkin called; the dwarf looked up from his games with Tondu. "Yer the fastest of us; run an' tell Rawlstow we have a sick bearcub. Rawlstow's a fox; a healer," he added in explanation to Mrs Bear as Nikoden pulled on his boots and disappeared out the door without a word.

"Donkor!" Jorkin exclaimed as a chair rocked dangerously as the dwarf darted around it in the increasingly rowdy game of tag he was playing with Tondu. "He might be only a cub, but surely _you_ know better."

Donkor flushed and paused, breathing heavily as he turned to Mrs Bear. "Ma'am, do ye mind if I take him outside to play?"

"Very well," she agreed, eyeing Tondu with a stern gaze that showed she still held him to blame for his brother's current illness. "Tondu, mind you be careful of your claws and teeth; dwarves' skin isn't as tough as bearcubs'."

"Yes, Mama," Tondu agreed dutifully, then turned and bounded out of the cave ahead of a laughing Donkor.

 _ **Next chapter coming next week!**_

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


	4. Fox Healer

**Chapter** **Four: Fox Healer**

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Nikoden poked his head into the room. "Rawlstow's here," he announced breathlessly and disappeared to join Tondu and Donkor as a sleek fox entered the room.

"Thank ye fer comin', Rawlstow," Halkin greeted him. "Mrs Bear, this is th' healer Rawlstow; Rawlstow, Mrs Bear an' her cub, Kolbi."

"Please, is there anything you can do for him?" Mrs Bear asked anxiously.

"I'll do m'best," the fox promised. "How long has he been ill?"

"He's never been well," Mrs Bear explained soberly. "He barely survived the winter, but he's just gotten really sick two days ago when Tondu splashed him with cold water."

"Never been well, y'say; anythin' in particular?"

"He's always been small and weak; he complains of stomach-aches a lot."

"An' his appetite?"

"Almost none. He couldn't eat enough for hibernation, so he woke up hungry during the winter — but even then he would barely eat."

The fox nodded and moved toward the cub. "Kolbi? How are y'feelin'?"

"Hurts," the cub whimpered.

"Yes, but c'n y'tell me where it hurts?"

"Hurts!" Kolbi whimpered again, and Rawlstow left off questioning him.

He pressed his nose to the cub's, checking his temperature, then took his listener from his sporran and fit on one of the metal plates.

Gently rolling the cub to his side, he pressed the listener to his chest, listening for long moments. "Take a deep breath, Kolbi," he murmured, half surprised when he attempted to obey. The action caused him to cough, forestalling the healer's next request.

At last Rawlstow straightened, tossing the listener around his neck. Gently parting the fur, he looked at Kolbi's ears and glassy eyes, then sniffed the secretions that crusted around them.

"Open yer mouth an' stick out yer tongue," he directed, taking out his light beam and flicking the striker with a claw to light it. He made note of the cub's coated tongue before shining the beam down his throat.

Mrs Bear was pacing, growling low in her throat with anxious impatience, by the time Rawlstow extinguished his light beam and returned it to his sporran. He was about to speak when there was a cry of pain from outside, followed by a cub's frantic apologies. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

With a slightly louder growl, Mrs Bear dashed out the door.

Donkor's sleeve was torn, blood seeping from under the hand he held pressed against his arm. He looked up when he heard Mrs Bear, managing a tight smile. "It's all right, Mrs Bear; he didn't get me too badly."

Mrs Bear gave Tondu a swat that sent the cub tumbling. "I told you to be careful of your claws!" she scolded.

Tondu looked up with an aggrieved expression. "It was an accident," he muttered sulkily.

"How bad is it?" Rawlstow barked, appearing in the doorway of the cave.

"Just a scratch," Donkor insisted.

"Come in here so I c'n tend it," the fox ordered.

Mrs Bear gave Tondu another swat, forcing him to his feet and shoving him into the cave ahead of her behind the dwarf. Nikoden trailed behind them, shutting the door without a word, well aware that he and Donkor had urged Tondu on in his rowdiness perhaps more than was wise.

Donkor sat on a wooden bench and pulled off his shirt, wincing as Rawlstow licked hard at the four parallel scratches, cleaning them thoroughly. "They're not too deep," he assured the dwarf, glancing at Mrs Bear as well.

She merely grunted and pushed Tondu into the corner, where he sat sulking.

Rawlstow applied salve and bandages to the cuts, then turned his attention back to Kolbi as Donkor went to find an undamaged shirt.

 _ **Next chapter coming next week!**_

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


	5. Treatment Plan

**Chapter** **Five: Treatment Plan**

The fox healer listened again at the cub's chest, checking to be sure nothing had changed while he had been otherwise occupied.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Mrs Bear asked anxiously.

"Aye," Rawlstow admitted. "I need t'get some medicine into him, an' then I c'n tell y'what's wrong." He took a bottle from his sporran, deftly uncorking it with his teeth and pouring out a dose. "Swallow this," he told Kolbi, tipping the spoon into his mouth.

The cub merely lay listlessly, letting the medicine dribble out of his mouth. Mrs Bear grunted in concern, but Rawlstow seemed unbothered, merely pouring out another dose. "Halkin, will y'come hold his head up?"

The dwarf came forward to do as he asked, lifting Kolbi's head slowly until Rawlstow's nod told him he had it positioned correctly. Once more Rawlstow poured the medicine into Kolbi's mouth, then lightly clamped his jaws shut and massaged his throat with firm strokes of his tongue until the cub swallowed, then coughed.

"One more," Rawlstow murmured, taking another bottle and putting a few drops of the stimulant it contained on Kolbi's tongue. "There, now. Y'just rest." He gave the cub's nose a comforting swipe with his tongue before turning to the anxiously waiting Mrs Bear.

"He has a throat an' chest infection, which I c'n treat," he explained. "It may be harder than it would be in a healthy cub, but that isn't m'main concern. Th'more serious problem is that he has a heart defect."

Mrs Bear gasped softly. "And — can you do anything for that?"

"Maybe," the fox said a little mysteriously. "I'd like t'get him back t'm'den…how did you get him here?"

"On my back."

"I'll ask y't'do that again, then; it would be easier than havin' th'dwarves use a litter."

"We c'n keep Tondu fer ye, if ye want," Jorkin offered.

Mrs Bear eyed her larger cub doubtfully. "He may be a bit too much for you to handle."

Halkin chuckled. "I think eight dwarves should be able to manage one bearcub," he assured her.

Mrs Bear whuffed her scepticism, but concern for Kolbi kept her from arguing further. "Tondu, you _mind your teeth and claws_ ," she warned sternly. "And don't you dwarves go too easy on him," she added.

"He'll be fine," Halkin assured her. "C'n we help get Kolbi on yer back?"

"If y'don't mind," Rawlstow agreed before Mrs Bear had a chance. She lay down, and Jorkin and Halkin between them managed to get Kolbi lying comfortably on her back. She rose slowly, careful not to jar him, and with a last warning growl at Tondu followed Rawlstow from the cave.

Rawlstow sent a Talking Bird ahead of them to let his mate know of their impending arrival, and she stood at the doorway to the den as they neared it.

"Mrs Bear, m'mate Vroxa," Rawlstow introduced briefly. "Vroxa, Mrs Bear an' her cub Kolbi."

"I've made a pallet fer him by th'fire," Vroxa said, glancing sympathetically at Mrs Bear.

As she walked in, Mrs Bear noted that the entrance to this part of the den was far larger than would have been required by a fox; obviously the healer anticipated treating bigger species as well as those close to his own size.

"Crouch down, Mrs Bear," Rawlstow told her. "Vroxa, help me with th'cub."

Together the two foxes slid Kolbi off Mrs Bear's back and settled him on the pallet, where Rawlstow once more bent over him with the listener he had not taken from around his neck.

"Th'stimulant I gave him seems to have helped," he noted.

"So you can cure him?" Mrs Bear asked anxiously.

"Not w'stimulants," Rawlstow said soberly. "They're useful t'help his heart over this acute illness, but used fer too long they would make his heart work harder than it really has th'strength for."

"Then — there's nothing you can do?"

"There may be," Rawlstow said soberly. "I have some o'Queen Lucy's magic cordial."

"The cordial," Mrs Bear breathed. "I had thought of that; Mr Bear thought it wasn't our place to ask it of her."

"She would use it willin'ly; whether her brother would let her is another question." Rawlstow flicked his ears thoughtfully. "It works on illness an' injures; I'm not sure a defect present from birth counts as either."

"But you can _try_ …?"

"Yes…only I'm not sure how t'give it. Directly t'th'heart might be best… It would be a risk, o'course," he admitted, looking up frankly. "But with yer permission, I c'n try."

"It's his only chance," Mrs Bear said soberly. "Will you do it…now?"

"No; I want t'try t'build up his strength first. Tomorrow, if I think he c'n stand it."

"Tomorrow, then," Mrs Bear agreed. "And thank you."

 _ **Next chapter coming next week!**_

 **A/N: See my story "Spider Bite" to learn how Rawlstow came to have the cordial. Barbie**

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


	6. Cordial

**Chapter** **Six: Cordial**

Rawlstow dosed Kolbi throughout the night, and by morning the cub seemed to have rallied slightly, no longer requiring Rawlstow's aid to swallow the medicine. "His breathin's better," Rawlstow commented, tossing the listener around his neck. "I think I c'n safely perform th'operation."

"Can I stay?" Mrs Bear asked anxiously.

"Yes, if y'stay back an' don't distract me," Rawlstow answered after a moment's consideration. "C'n y'lift him onto th'table fer me?"

Mrs Bear gently cradled her cub in her large paws, laying him on the table and licking his nose before stepping back as Rawlstow had asked.

Rawlstow opened another vial and put a few drops of the tincture on Kolbi's tongue; within a few minutes the cub was sleeping soundly. Rawlstow gently rolled him to his back, checking to be sure his tongue did not obstruct his breathing before turning his attention to the task at hand.

He shaved a patch of fur over the cub's heart, then made a small but deep cut. He then inserted a metal-tipped quill between two ribs, the point stopping just short of touching the heart.

Then, almost reverently, he uncorked the vial of cordial Queen Lucy had given him and let a single shining drop flow down the quill, only then pushing it a little deeper to the heart itself, trusting the power of the cordial to keep him from causing any fatal damage even if it turned out it couldn't correct the malformed heart.

He followed the drop of cordial with one of stimulant, more to wash the cordial through the quill and make sure it all reached the heart than with any thought that it would help further. Then he slowly withdrew the quill, watching with a sense of awe as the puncture hole closed behind it without a trace.

His original incision remained, however, and he neatly closed it with three stitches.

He paused to stretch his back, aching from some time standing on his hind legs, before once more pressing his listener to Kolbi's chest.

"Is it…working?" Mrs Bear whispered.

"His heart seems a bit stronger, but that could b'from the stimulant," Rawlstow said cautiously. "He's no worse, at least, but it's too soon t'say fer sure."

 _ **Next chapter coming next week!**_

 **A/N: The use of the cordial seems to be a little inconsistent in the original stories; in TL,TW, &TW Lucy just needed one drop in Edmund's mouth, but in **_**Prince Caspian**_ **she needed a drop on each of Reepicheep's wounds. My theory is that a drop by mouth is necessary for illness or injuries that don't break the skin, and would also work for wounds, but a drop directly in the wound closes it faster and with less scarring. However, I'm also going with the idea that Father Christmas never did tell Lucy how the single drop was to be administered! (Although Aslan was there in both instances I mentioned, and he would presumably know…) Barbie**

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


	7. Tracking

**Chapter** **Seven: Tracking**

Unknown to Mrs Bear, there had been a witness to her eviction from her den. High in the treetops above, a red squirrel had seen the wild bear's audacity and her subsequent retreat. Like all squirrels, he wasn't above eavesdropping and knew the reason Mr Bear wasn't with them. Now he determined that the father and husband must be told, and who better to carry news than a squirrel?

 **oOo**

Mr Bear travelled at a steady lope, his mind firmly fixed on his destination. He barely heard the chattering of a squirrel overhead, brought out of his thoughts only by something landing on his back and a sharp nip on his ear. "Will you _listen_?" the squirrel demanded shrilly.

Mr Bear growled in irritation, and the squirrel jumped from his head to a nearby branch, then quickly scampered up out of reach. "Listen to what?" Mr Bear huffed.

"To what I'm trying to _tell_ you!" the squirrel cried, flicking its tail wildly.

Mr Bear beat a paw impatiently on the ground; waiting for a squirrel to get to the point could be exasperating even in the best of times. "I don't have time for gossip; I'm on important business."

"I _know_ what business you're on!" the squirrel announced importantly, running up and down his branch. "You're going to find a healer for your son!"

Mr Bear's growl was louder this time. "You better not have stopped me just to tell me you know my business."

"Would I have worn my paws out chasing you down for _that_!" the squirrel cried in disbelief.

"Well, why did you, then?"

"Because there is something I think you ought to know!"

" _What — should — I — know_?" Mr Bear asked, pronouncing each word carefully and separately.

The squirrel flicked his tail. "You don't have to get so impatient; I only came all this way to tell you."

Mr Bear stared measuringly at the squirrel, wondering if he could manage to knock it off its branch with a paw swipe if he stood on his hind legs. " _Tell — me — what_?" he asked in the same slow, deliberate manner. "And if you keep talking in circles, I'm continuing on," he added.

"There's a wild bear in your den!" the squirrel cried triumphantly.

" _In_ my den? What of my wife and cubs?" Mr Bear asked anxiously, never doubting the truth of the story. Squirrels were flighty and undependable, but they could generally be believed when they finally got to the point of the story.

"Chased off! Chased off! Chased off!" He emphasized each exclamation with another flick of his plumy tail.

With a growl of angry irritation Mr Bear spun around to head back the way he had come. The squirrel at first attempted to keep pace with him in the branches overhead, chattering breathlessly the whole time.

But within minutes he realized the bear would quickly outstrip him, and even at a slower pace it was a long way back to the forest they had both called home. With the brazen daring of which only a squirrel was capable, he dropped to ride on Mr Bear's back.

With a low growl, Mr Bear swerved to the side under a low-hanging branch, attempting to scrape the squirrel off. But it flattened itself until it was nearly buried in the thick fur, clinging tightly to its place. "I came all this way to give you the news; the least you can do is give me a ride back."

Mr Bear's answering growl did not sound as if he agreed, but he wasted no more time trying to dislodge the stubborn squirrel.

 **oOo**

Mr Bear travelled day and night, the squirrel sleeping comfortably in his thick fur. As soon as they reached the portion of the woods he considered his, he leapt upward to land on a branch, having no wish to test the bear's patience and still be within reach when he finally decided to do something about it. "Aslan's blessing!" he called, flicking his tail in farewell.

Mr Bear gave no sign of having heard or even of noticing the squirrel's absence. Though his paws would have ached with weariness if he had stopped to think about it, if anything his speed increased as he neared his old den.

He burst into the clearing with a roar, the ferocity on his face terrible to behold.

Woken from a feverish sleep, the intruder stumbled out of the cave and rose to his hind legs to meet the challenge with a roar of his own.

" _No one steals my family's den_!" Mr Bear roared as he advanced on him, speaking the language of the bears so this wild bear could not help but understand.

"Mine!" the wild bear roared back; even in their own tongue the wild animals possessed only rudimentary powers of speech compared to the Talking Beasts.

"No, _mine_!" Charging forward, he caught the bear across the face with a powerful claw-swipe.

One was all it took. Recognizing Mr Bear's superior ability, and perhaps realizing that he was in the wrong, he dropped to all fours and ran off, half blinded by the blood dripping into his eyes.

Mr Bear sent one last roar of threat and challenge after him, then dropped to his own paws and stood panting, looking around the empty clearing.

Chasing the intruder off was not truly as important as finding his family; they could always find another den.

He wondered irritably where the squirrel had got to; surely it could have told him which way his family went.

Then he saw the rough scratches on the side of the tree; not vertical as when one of the bears sharpened his claws, but horizontal. A closer examination showed him Mrs Bear's mark above a crude arrow. With a whuff, he set off in the direction it pointed.

 **oOo**

Little over a day later, he arrived at a clearing in front of what was obviously a dwarves' cave, judging by the scent of the forge. Two bearcubs romped and played in the yard in front of it, and Mr Bear blinked in confusion. The larger one looked like Tondu, but surely the little one, tumbling and roughhousing with his brother, couldn't be the sickly Kolbi.

"Cubs?"

They looked up, startled, then began galloping over. "Papa! Papa's here!"

He allowed them to bowl him over in their mad rush, and as he got a whiff of the little one's scent he knew beyond any doubt that this was Kolbi.

"Oscar!" Attracted by the cub's cries, Mrs Bear was coming to greet him, and he stood, letting the cubs tumble to the ground as he trotted to meet her halfway.

"Mimosa, that can't — how can that possibly be _Kolbi_?"

Mrs Bear whuffed softly, laying her head on his neck. She glanced down at the cubs, running obstacle courses in and around their legs. "Cubs, go ask Padovan for some honeycomb," she told them. She watched affectionately as they ran off toward the forge, then turned to her husband. "Kolbi got very sick," she said soberly. "He — was dying, Oscar. But the dwarves called a fox who's a healer."

"And he — helped Kolbi?" Mr Bear asked almost incredulously. Even as an Animal himself, he had trouble picturing any creature as a healer that was not at least part human or humanlike in appearance.

"Yes," Mrs Bear said simply. "He said there was something wrong with Kolbi's heart. But he had some of Queen Lucy's cordial — and you can see the result."

"The cordial," Mr Bear breathed. "So you were right, Mosa."

"Yes…but I don't think even the queen herself would have known how to use it the way Rawlstow did."

Further explanations were delayed as the two cubs, sticky with honey, came running out of the cave to jump on their parents. Soon the entire family was rolling and tumbling in carefree play, and Mr Bear smiled. He had still to bring his family back to their den, but in this moment he felt all of them were truly home.

THE END

 _I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)_

 _Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


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